Marton Mere Holiday Village in Blackpool has applied to increase the number of static caravans on its site.
The park’s owners, Bourne Leisure Ltd, have submitted a request to Blackpool Council for a Certificate of Lawfulness that would allow the stationing of 20 additional caravans without requiring new planning permission.
The holiday park, which is operated by Haven Holidays, currently has permission for 1,474 pitches.
Most of these are taken up by static caravans, with a smaller number available for touring visitors. If approved, the total would increase to 1,494 units, representing a 1.4 percent rise in overall capacity.
In their application, planning consultants Laister argued that the proposed increase is minimal in scale and would not constitute a material change of use.
“The addition of 20 caravans in the context of the overall permitted number of units across the park is so insignificant that it would not result in an on-site change to the definable character of the use of the land,” the statement said.
According to LancsLive, the consultants also noted that the scale of the increase aligns with previous appeal decisions.
“The total number of permitted caravans across the site would rise to 1494, an increase of 1.4% on the existing limits, which falls well within the percentage change parameters of a number of recent appeal decisions,” they added.
The application further stated: “As such, the stationing of the 20 caravans, as proposed in the submitted plans, would not result in a material change of use and would therefore be lawful, not requiring permission for the use of the land.”
”Respectfully, we therefore request that the Council issue a CLOPUD (Certificate of Lawful proposed Use or Development) for the stationing of the additional 20 caravans and associated operational development.”
For business owners in the outdoor hospitality and caravan sectors, the case highlights a regulatory pathway for expanding capacity within existing permissions.
Applying for a Certificate of Lawfulness, rather than a full planning application, can provide operators with a route to modest growth when the proposed changes are small in scale and align with precedent.
This approach may offer flexibility to parks, balancing demand growth against planning requirements, though outcomes will depend on local council interpretation and existing site permissions.